Gambling is sweeping the country.
Casinos now exist in 30 states.
Over 70 river boats are attracting thousands
to come aboard and take a chance at various casino games.
Las Vegas is booming with more casinos than ever
and the biggest gambling resorts in the world.
How would you like to win at gambling in these casinos?
How would you like to have the information
to beat the odds and win at every game?
Well, you're about to do just that.
You have purchased the best video of its kind in the world
from America's foremost authority on gambling,
Jimmy the Scott Jordan.
Through the education you will get from viewing this tape,
you can become a pro.
Thanks to the secrets in this video,
you'll learn how to increase your odds of winning
by playing properly.
Although no method is foolproof,
why not increase your winning odds
with the man who knows the game best,
Jimmy the Scott Jordan.
And now, direct from Las Vegas,
the gambling capital of the world,
here is Jimmy the Scott Jordan.
Hi, I'm Jimmy the Scott
and I'm gonna tell you how to win at Blackjack.
I dealt the game since 1948, since I was a kid,
since I was 12 years old.
First game I ever started dealing.
30 years in Las Vegas, dealt here in the 60s,
dealt here in the 70s, I was a dealer, I was a floor man,
I was a shift boss, I ran a shift,
so I know the game inside and out.
I know what it takes to be a good player
and I'm gonna tell you what that takes.
And you do it, you've got a lot of work ahead of you,
but anybody can be a master at Blackjack
in just three short months.
It's your easiest of all gambling games to master.
You know when I was a dealer?
Within two or three hands,
I can pick out who the good players
and who the bad players are at my table.
When I'm a dealer, the first thing I do
when I take over a table, I'm shuffling a deck,
I check everybody out.
I look at your tie, I look at your fingernails,
see how clean you are, how you're dressed,
I look at your money and then I look at your bet
and then by the time I start dealing,
I know who should be a winner
and after three or four hands,
I know who is a winner, who are good players
and who are not good players.
You can be so good at Blackjack
that you can actually earn a living playing Blackjack
and don't argue with me.
You ask any experts that know this game,
there are some experts that say Blackjack is your best bet.
Well, I go along with Krabs,
I even like Roulette better than,
I like Keno, I like everything.
But Blackjack, you can become good at it.
To start off with, the French invented Blackjack
300 years ago, almost before America was discovered
they played this silly game during the Middle Ages of Europe.
It's a children's game.
Little girls and little boys play Blackjack
with their mother and father
when they're six years old in the kitchen table.
So don't be afraid to sit down and get started.
The only way to become good at Blackjack, practice.
That's how you get to Carnegie Hall.
Anybody that says you wanna be good at Blackjack
will tell you, play, play a lot, play often.
The more you play, the better you become at this game
and I'm gonna tell you how to play smart.
What you have to do, I'm gonna be your coach,
I'm gonna make you a good player.
Okay, you sit down at the table and don't be embarrassed.
We all start sometime after a couple of days
playing this game, you'll be laughing at other people.
Nobody's gonna laugh at you anyways.
Dealers don't laugh at you and never mind the other players.
You're not playing against the other players.
It's you against the dealer.
Sit down, put 20 bucks on the table.
That's what you do as a beginner.
Dealer will take your $20.
They'll give you $20 and chips to play with.
Put two bucks right out there in that betting square,
right in front of you.
I never recommend you start with $1.
I always recommend you start with $2.
We call them a two unit better.
See, I play with two red chips.
I never start with one red chip.
I always start with two red chips.
Anybody that plays green chips,
green chips are worth $25.
Red chips are worth $5.
That's what I play with.
You play with the dollar chips.
But start with two chips.
The only time starting with one is better
than starting with two is in the first hand.
If you lose, it's better to lose one than two,
but if you win, it's better to win two than one
and that offsets that because nobody knows
a first hand coming out of a deck.
Your first hand on a freshly shuffled deck
is always a blind hand.
It's a hand after that and a hand after that
watching those cards that'll make you a better player
and that's why I'm gonna tell you to play out of a shoe.
I'll explain all this in time to come.
So you sit down and you put out two chips.
Well, if you put out one chip and you win your first hand,
you have two options.
You can take one and let one ride
or you can let them both ride.
If I start with two chips and I win my first hand,
I have four options.
I can take two and let two ride.
I can double my bet and let four ride.
I can take three chips and let one ride,
which I wouldn't do because I never like getting down
to one chip on the table.
What I usually do is take three and let one ride.
I'm taking a profit and still letting something ride
or take one and let three ride.
It's what I like to do.
There, I'm adding to my bet and yet in case if I lose,
I'm saving one to at least pay for half of my next bet.
Money management is a secret to winning in all of gambling.
Once you learn blackjack, learn all the doubling,
all the splitting, how to hit, all your percentages,
then you know the game is good as me.
After that, it's how you use your money
while a game is being played that's gonna make you a winner.
The winning is in the money.
All right, you sit down and you buy some chips.
You put out two dollars.
Dealer shuffles a deck.
Somebody cuts the deck.
If it's your turn, just cut the deck.
He'll put the deck in front of you.
Dealer deals two cards to everybody at the table
and two cards to himself and he shows you half of his hand
called the dealer's up card.
Well, we'll get to that in just a minute.
You got your first two cards.
All right, pick up your two cards and look at them.
You got an ace in a face card or an ace in a 10?
That's a blackjack.
Turn it up.
You not only win automatically,
you get paid three to two for your bet.
So if you got two chips out there, he won't pay you two.
You get paid three.
You get 50% more for your bet,
providing the dealer doesn't have a blackjack.
If the dealer has a blackjack, you tie.
See, the rule in this game is this.
You have to beat the dealer.
The dealer has to beat you.
On any hand that you tie with the dealer,
it's called a push, keep your money.
You look at your first two cards,
you got two face cards like a jack and a king
or a 10 and a king.
Hey, you got a 20.
20 is a good hand.
See, aces can count one or 11 in this game.
Face cards and 10s all count 10
and all the other cards have face value.
A nine is a nine, a seven is a seven, a two is a two.
That's how you count the cards in this game.
You look at your first two cards,
you got a 10 and a nine, you got 19.
That's a good hand.
Now when you got a good hand,
you tuck your cards under your money
without touching your money
or drop your cards beside your money
indicating to the dealer that you don't want any more cards.
You look at your first two cards,
you got a face card and an eight, that's 18.
That's a good hand.
17's a good hand.
I'll tell you what to do about soft 17s in just a minute.
Those are good hands.
17, 18, 19, 20, and of course,
if you got a blackjack, turn it up immediately right away.
What if you got a bad hand?
What are the bad hands?
Well, let's get down to the not so bad hands.
Like a three and a five, that's eight.
If your first two cards total up to 11,
you need another card.
You gotta get closer to 21 without going over 21.
If you go over 21, you lose automatically.
What if you got an eight, like a five and a three,
and you signal to the dealer by scraping your card
when it's your turn, when the dealer comes to you
that you want another card, he'll give you another card.
Now he gives you a queen.
Now you got 18.
Now you tuck your cards under your money
without touching your money.
You look at your first two cards,
you got like a two and a three.
That's a five.
You say, give me a card.
He gives you a three, now you got eight.
Now you take another card.
He gives you an ace, ace counts 111.
Now you got 19, good hand.
Tuck your cards under your money.
So you gotta hit those weak hands,
and when you get a good hand, don't hit the good hands.
Your problem is this,
and where the casino makes 90% of all their profit,
hitting the hands between 11 and 17,
they're called the breaking hands, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
There's your problem.
You see, if you got a 16 and you say, give me a card,
now you give you a queen, you got 26, you're over 21,
you just throw up right then and there.
Your card set is, well do both, you lost.
The point is, if you go over 21, you lose automatically.
You're automatically just giving your money to the casino,
so be careful and try not to beat yourself too often.
So be careful about hitting a 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16.
When should you do it?
Well, here's when you shouldn't do it.
I don't like hitting a 16.
I haven't hit a 16 since I was about 13 years old.
You gotta be lucky hitting a 16.
If you hit a 16, there's eight cards that break you,
and there's only five cards that make you.
The odds are eight to five against you,
that's damn near two to one right off the bat.
I hate hitting 16.
You gotta be very, very lucky.
I only hit a 16 if the dealer's got an ace showing,
and if a lot of big cards went out on the last hand,
I might take a shot at hitting a 16,
but you gotta be very, very lucky.
My trouble is, I'm so unlucky.
If it came down to the last woman on earth
and they cut her in half, I'd get the half that eats.
You gotta be lucky hitting 16s,
and you gotta be lucky hitting 15s.
They're just about as tough.
Hitting a 14 is tough.
I don't really like hitting a 14.
I do once in a while.
I hit 13 a lot, though.
That's my lucky number.
And it's my money and my business.
Somebody at the blackjack table doesn't like the way
that you're playing blackjack tough bananas.
Play your own game.
It's your money.
Let everybody else sweat it.
Play your own game.
But if you wanna be good at blackjack,
here's where you start.
You start by becoming good at hitting the 12.
12 is easier than hitting a 13, 14, 15, or 16,
so start with the easy one
before you learn the tough ones.
12, do you know the only card that can break you
when you're hitting a 12 is a face card?
Yeah, I'll take any other card but a face card.
And there's only four of those in the deck.
That's only 16 cards out of 52.
That'll break you.
So you don't gotta be so lucky hitting a 12.
You wanna be excellent?
Here's the answer.
Watch face cards.
You know, I'm gonna give you four ways to make money
by watching face cards at a blackjack table.
If you're not watching face cards,
you'll always be a loser.
Watching face cards alone is a tip
that'll make you an automatic 1% better blackjack player.
See, blackjack is about a 5% game in favor of the casino.
All the casinos know that.
Yeah, we get 5% of all the money put on
all the blackjack tables at the end of every year.
Or we get 1% or 2% from the good players.
We get maybe 10% or 11% or 12% or 15% from the bad players.
It averages out to about 5%.
You wanna be good?
Become a 4% better.
Start watching face cards.
You wanna be good?
Better than that?
I'll bring you down to 3%.
I'll bring you down to 2%.
And when you get to my advanced blackjack tape,
I'll get you down to maybe a 1% better
or maybe darn near even with the casino.
That's when you're a good blackjack player.
But you gotta watch those face cards.
How do you watch face cards?
Sit at a full table.
I like six people at my table.
Why do I sit at a full table?
Because at the end of every hand,
I get to see a half a deck of cards
spread across that layout.
There's an average of 2.5 cards per person per hand.
So if there's seven people at the table plus the dealer,
you're gonna see about 24 cards at the end of every hand.
That's darn near half a deck of cards.
Hurry before the dealer picks them up.
How many face cards do you see?
A third of the deck is face cards.
Therefore, a third of the cards in the table
will be face cards.
It's the law of averages.
About eight face cards.
You watch and see at the end of every hand.
Eight, seven, nine, eight, seven, nine.
That's what average means, average.
So why am I telling you this?
I'm telling you to have patience.
I'm telling you to wait and keep watching
because once, twice, three times an hour,
it'll be above or below that average,
and that's two, three, four times an hour.
You're gonna become a better gambler for your next hand.
What if no face cards come out in the whole hand?
No face cards.
Where are the 16 face cards?
If they're not in this half a deck in the table,
they still must be in a half a deck in the dealer's hand,
right?
Okay, 16 out of 25 cards in his hand are face cards.
All right, now whatever happens on that hand,
the dealer puts the cards into this card tray,
everybody puts out their bet, here comes the next hand.
You look at your two cards and you got a 12.
Are you gonna take a card?
I don't think so.
With all those face cards in the deck,
you know darn well you're gonna get one,
so at least you're playing smart.
Watching face cards will make you excellent
at hitting your 12,
but I'll give you three more reasons for watching face cards,
but please watch those face cards.
Now, here's the biggest secret you have to learn
at a blackjack table.
How much money to put out there before the hand is dealt?
Yeah, why is that so important?
Because after the hand is dealt,
you can put out more money.
How do you know how much money to put out
before the hand is dealt?
Well, let me give you a couple of tips.
Number one, put out more money
if there's face cards left in the deck.
You know why?
Because in the next hand,
you got a good chance to catch a 20.
We call it a natural.
I love 20s.
You give me a good chance to catch a 20, baby.
All that to my bet.
You say, Jimmy, the dealer's got an equal chance
to catch a 20, that's true,
but when you're down to where you're equal with the dealer,
it's time to take a shot at him.
At least you're equal with the dealer,
and for another reason.
You see, on the next hand,
when I look at my hand and I got a 12
with all those face cards in the deck,
I know not to take a card,
but if the dealer's got a 12, has he got a choice?
No, the dealer must hit up to 16.
Here's the rule right on the table.
Dealer must draw to 16 and stand on all 17s.
Now, before you sit down at any blackjack table,
I suggest you read that rule on the table,
and I'll tell you even a better rule to look for.
Some casinos, the dealer will hit a soft 17.
I like that rule.
You don't see that in too many casinos,
but I like that rule.
When I see it on the table in any casino,
that's where I like to play blackjack.
A soft 17 would be an ace and a six.
The aces count one over 11,
and each time you got an ace and a little card,
like an ace and a deuce,
that could be a three or 13, called soft.
If you hit that with a queen,
that now becomes a hard 13.
If you hit it with another queen,
you got 23 and you're over 21.
Now, the reason I like the rule
where the dealer hits on soft 17s is,
when the dealer deals two cards to everybody
and two cards to himself,
and he shows you one of his cards,
half of his hand, called the dealer's up card,
if that dealer's got a six showing,
I wanna know he's gotta go to the deck.
That dealer's got a six showing,
I don't hit a 16.
I won't hit a 16.
I bet you don't either.
But under that six, he's got an ace, 17.
Dealer stands on all 17s, you lose.
There are a lot of casinos
where he's gotta hit that soft 17.
It's not an automatic loss.
So look for that rule on the table.
And be careful about hitting those breaking hands.
Putting money on the table to begin with,
always bet the minimum until you're winning.
Then you can add to your bet.
If you're losing, bet the minimum.
If you don't like the deck, bet the minimum.
Always bet the minimum.
What is your minimum?
I don't know, what is your minimum?
My minimum is $10.
I like to play at a $5 table, and I told you,
I start with two chips, two $5 chips.
Now, I never have too much more on the table than maybe $50.
There's another secret in gambling that says,
never let your maximum bet ever get out of reach
of your minimum bet.
We have one occasion when all us dealers go
to the dealer's room and laugh at a player.
We call him an idiot bettor, an erotic bettor,
an erratic bettor.
Here's a guy that comes to my table, he bets a dollar.
He loses, he bets a dollar.
He loses, out comes $50.
Where the hell did that come from?
There's no connection.
There are two things wrong with that.
You lose that one bet, $50, you're dead, go home.
You wanna buy some more chips and play some more?
Okay, go back to your one $2 bet where you were happy.
You can move most of your bets the rest of the day.
You will not recover that $50 loss.
It's too heavy of a loss for a two lot of base bet
to recover over any reasonable given period of time.
And the longer you spend at any table or at any game,
the better chance the casino ads are beating you.
You try to make your score as fast as possible
when you become a gambler.
The longer you spend at the table,
that percentage will eat you up.
Now, you put money out there before the cards are dealt.
Do you know after the cards are dealt,
you can put up to double that money?
That's why it's so important,
is how much money you put out in the first place.
Yeah, after the cards are dealt.
You put out two bucks, the dealer deals two cards to everybody
and two cards to himself.
You look at your two cards,
you can put out more money on the table.
It's called splitting and doubling down.
And that's what I'm gonna cover right now,
fully and completely.
Splitting and doubling down.
Splitting.
When your first two cards are a pair,
pair of twos, pair of threes, pair of fours, a pair.
Do you know what you can do?
You can open up your pair.
Put an equal bet on the table
and you now can play two hands against the dealer.
When do you wanna do that?
When the dealer's got a bad card showing.
Don't do it when he's got a good card showing.
What's a good card for the dealer to show?
All right, let's start right here.
Here's a good card for the dealer to show an ace.
Anytime that dealer shows an ace, back off.
Aces count one over 11,
that dealer's got two chances to make that hand.
That is not a good time for you
to put extra money on the table.
I don't recommend you put out extra money on the table
when the dealer shows a face card either.
There's over half the deck under there
that says right now he's got a 17 to a 21.
Mind you, if he has an ace under there,
he's gonna look for that insurance bet,
which I'll tell you about on this tape,
so you'll find out if he has a 21.
But that's a darn good card for the dealer to show.
Sevens, eights, and nines are also good cards
for the dealer to show.
Anytime the dealer shows a seven, an eight, or a nine,
be careful.
They are cards that do favor the dealer.
However, when it gets down to a seven,
there are a lot of times that I will make a move
when the dealer shows a seven,
and I'll tell you about that too.
So those are the good cards for the dealer.
Here's a pretty good card, the deuce.
Anytime that dealer shows a deuce, back off.
That's so close to an ace, there's so many ways
a dealer can make a hand using a deuce.
He can hit that with a 19 and make a 21 out of it.
When I'm a dealer and I deal cards out to people
at the table, dealing blackjack is very boring, by the way.
But anytime I had a deuce showing, aha,
inside I'd say, huh, let's see how these people play me
when I got a deuce showing.
That made it interesting.
But watch out, the deuce can be a good card for the dealer.
Now if those are the good cards, what are the bad cards?
Here they are, a three, four, five, six.
Anytime the dealer shows one of these four cards,
suck it to him.
Now the three might not be so bad,
that's down near a deuce where it might help the dealer,
but nevertheless it's now a percentage card
in favor of us, the players, and a four, five, six.
They're the bad cards, bad, bad, bad cards for the dealer.
That's when you split, that's when you double down.
So you look at your first two cards, you got a pair,
you can open up your pair, you must put an equal bet
on the table, you got two bucks, you gotta put on
another two bucks, but now you can play two hands
against the dealer.
So when that dealer shows a three, four, five, or a six,
I wish I could play 10 hands against him right now.
That dealer's showing a weak spot.
How do you split a pair?
Well, it's a pair, open it up.
You got two bucks in the table, put another two bucks
in the table, you now can play two hands against the dealer.
Split a pair of twos, excellent to split.
Split a pair of threes, excellent to split.
Split a pair of fours, I do one of a shoe
where they got six decks in that shoe on the table
because they got six decks in there
and they got 24 fours in there, and a lot of casinos,
when you split your pair, if you get another four,
you can open it up called a resplit,
put another two bucks in the table
and play three hands against the dealer,
and if he gives you another four, you can split that,
put on a fourth bet, and you can play four hands
against the dealer.
Now, some casinos will limit you to four splits.
There are some casinos that say go for it.
They'll let you go all day long if you want.
In most cases though, most casinos will only let you
split aces twice.
Aces are too good of a bet, so they limit you
to splitting aces twice.
Ask your dealer, when you sit down at the table,
you should ask your dealer.
Is there anything I should know, dealer?
Have you got any special rules that I should know about?
I do it, I don't know.
All the rules aren't written on the table,
and I've been playing this game for 50 years
and I still do it, and the dealer will help you
if you're a beginner too.
Don't be afraid to say, dealer, this is my first time.
Will you help me please?
The dealer will help you.
By the way, you don't have to split your pair of fours.
You're not running so good right now.
A pair of fours is not a bad hand to hit.
You can double down on a pair of fours.
I'll tell you about that in just a minute.
Pair of fives, you should double down on
rather than split.
However, if I'm playing out of a shoe
where they got 24 fives in that shoe
and I feel lucky and I'm on their money
and I want to get a resplit and maybe a resplit,
that's when I'll split my pair of fives.
But most books will tell you it's better off
to double down on a pair of five.
Pair of sixes, split them.
You ain't going to hit a 12 when that dealer's
got a six showing.
Open it up, get more money on the table.
When that dealer's in trouble,
oh, I love to get extra money on the table.
In the old days, they wouldn't let us split or double down.
So in the old days, when I had a hand
and a dealer shows a six or a five or a four,
oh, I wanted to get more money on the table.
They say, dealer, you know your shoelace is untied?
Oh, really?
The dealer's looking under the table
and I put more money on my bet.
Boy, when that dealer's in trouble,
you got to get that extra money on the table.
Split a pair of sevens.
Yeah, it's a 14.
You ain't going to hit a 14.
Open it up.
I'll split a pair of sevens when that dealer's got
a two and a seven showing when I'm lucky.
Not just a three, four, five, or six.
That's the best time to split or double down.
But when that dealer's in trouble and I'm lucky,
I'll split a pair of sevens.
It means you've got a two and a seven showing.
You should always split a pair of eights.
Right up to when the dealer shows an ace.
A face card?
Yes.
Why would I split a pair of eights
when that dealer's got a face card showing?
Because of the third of the deck under there
says right now he's got a good hand.
Well, I get a 16.
I feel insecure.
I don't like hitting 16s.
I told you that unless he's got an ace showing sometimes.
If there's a lot of face cards that are out of the deck,
I might do it.
But when he's got a face card showing,
I split my pair of eights.
Give me a card here.
He gives me a card.
I wave with my hand.
He gives me a three.
Give me another one.
He gives me a queen.
That's 21.
Stop.
Give me a card here.
He gives me a five.
That's 13.
Stop.
Why?
I got a good hand, 21.
I got a 13.
But at least I didn't lose.
It's not a good hand, but I don't want to lose.
I take another card.
He gives me a queen.
That's 23.
I lose automatically.
Why did you split the cards in the first place for?
Because the dealer's in trouble.
Let the dealer take the chances.
Don't you take chances when that dealer shows a breaking card
at three, four, five, or six.
Now that dealer turns over his queen under his queen.
He's got a six.
He hits it with a jack.
He's got 26, and I win both hands.
But under that face card, if he has a 20, I win here, 21.
I lose here, 13.
I save my money.
I would have lost sitting on that 16.
You know, I'll split a pair in nines unless the dealer shows
a seven, a face card, or an ace.
Why would I split a pair in nines when that dealer's got a
seven showing?
Because a third of the deck is face cards.
Odds are he's got 17.
I've got 18.
I like it.
I stand.
But if he shows an eight, I split my pair in nines.
Why?
Well, odds are he's got 18.
He's showing an eight, probably get 18.
So have I.
I'm not here to tie.
I'm here to win.
A third of the deck is face cards.
Odds are you get a face card on one of these.
That's a 19.
He's got an eight showing.
Not a bad bet.
I'll split a pair in nines, sure, except when he's got a
face card or an ace showing and a seven.
All right?
So don't be afraid to split them.
You'll learn how to do this in time.
Don't split face cards.
Boy, that doesn't make sense.
You can even split a jack and a queen.
A casino will let you.
And one night when I was really, really hammered at the
old Knob Hill Casino, they let you split as long as you want.
He gave me a queen.
He gave me a jack.
I was on their money.
I was having a good time.
I was with some friends.
I was sitting in the last seat.
I split my pair of face cards.
You know there are some pros.
You'll learn this in the future now.
Don't you do this as a beginner.
Pros will tell you when you're in your card counting, and
that's what you learn on my advance tape.
You split a pair of face cards when the deck is a real good
plus deck, and that dealer has a breaking hand showing.
He gives me another queen.
I open it up.
He gives me a 10.
I open it up.
He gives me a jack.
I open it up.
He gives me another queen.
I open it up.
Man, I get eight cans on a table.
Another is queen.
He had a six, and he hit it with a 10.
He's got 26, and I won all eight hands.
But don't you do it until you really get to know how to play
this game.
And then again, if you've got somebody at your table that's
doing a lot of talking, or they stink, and you don't want
them at the table, ask the dealer, dealer, can I split
face cards?
The guy will say, oh, God, I'm leaving this table.
I'm getting out of here.
That's how I get rid of people I don't like at the table.
Always split aces.
Always.
This is such a good bet.
The casino only gives you one card in each ace.
Just one here and one here.
See, all of the pairs, when you split, pair twos, threes,
fours, fives, sixes, sevens, eights, nines, you can get
another card, another card, another card, stop, another
card, another card, another card, stop.
When you split aces, you only get one card in each ace.
It's a casino rule because it's such a good bet.
Odds are you get a face card on one of these.
A third of the deck is face cards.
That's a 21.
I don't mind those 21s at all.
Now, here's my chart on splitting.
I want you to look at it, and I want you to study it.
Splitting, very important to become a good
blackjack player.
Now, here's doubling down.
Same principle.
You get your first two cards, you lead your first card, you
can put more on the table, but you don't have a pair.
It's called doubling down.
The best time to double down is when your first two cards
total 10 or 11.
And that dealer shows a 3, 4, 5, or a 6.
Turn them up.
Get more money in the table.
It's the best time to double down.
But I will double down on my first two cards total 9 or 8
or even 7 sometimes when I'm winning, and I'm on their
money, and I'm lucky, and the dealer's unlucky, and
especially if there's a lot of face cards in the deck.
Why not?
Give me one.
I got a 7.
Give me a 17.
And if I don't get the face card, he's got a 6.
Then maybe he'll get a face card.
When there's a lot of face cards in the deck, it helps you
with your doubling down.
That's another reason for watching face cards.
So now you know spinning, and now you know doubling down.
And by the way, remember those soft hands.
You can double down on an ace-deuce, an ace-3, an ace-4,
an ace-5, an ace-6, and an ace-7.
Not a bad hand to double down on, especially when that
dealer is showing a breaking hand.
Now, here's my chart on doubling.
I want you to study this chart.
Now, here's insurance.
A lot of people don't understand what insurance is.
There's a rule on the table that says
insurance pays 2 to 1.
What does that mean?
Well, it's simply this.
When the dealer deals two cards to everybody at the table and
two cards to himself, and the dealer shows an ace, he'll ask
you, do you want insurance?
All he's asking you is this.
Do you think I have a face card under this ace?
Would you like to bet on it?
That's all there is.
When that dealer's got an ace showing, would you like to bet
if I got a face card under there?
That's all there is to it.
You think he's got a face card under there?
You can make a bet, and it pays 2 to 1.
That's the most money you can win at a blackjack table.
That pays more than when you get a blackjack.
Blackjack only pays 3 to 2.
Insurance pays 2 to 1.
Try to keep me away from a 2 to 1 bet.
Now, you don't do it all the time.
There's a time to do it, a good time to do it, a smart time to
do it, and that's what I'm going to tell you all about.
Everybody thinks it's because if you've got a blackjack, you
can insure it.
Ah, back off, back off.
You've got a blackjack.
Does that mean the dealer's got a face card under that ace?
How can you make an intelligent guess as to whether that
dealer might have a face card under that ace?
Watching face cards.
There's another reason for watching face cards.
Watching face cards helps you with hitting your 12.
It helps you with your doubling down.
It helps you with your betting, and it
helps you with insurance.
You must watch those face cards.
No face cards went out the last hand.
Oh, I bet he's got one under there.
I think now it's a good time to make a bet.
That's all there is to that silly little bet.
Watching face cards.
I got a guy up in Reno.
I was dealing.
Every time I had an ace, I said, would you like insurance?
He said, no.
Next minute, got another ace.
Would you like insurance this time, sir?
No.
10 minutes later, I'm dealing.
I got an ace.
Would you like insurance?
No.
Another 10 minutes later, I got an ace showing.
Would you like insurance?
Yeah.
And this guy's a $1,000 player, and all of a sudden, he put out
$500.
Half his bet.
That's what your maximum bet is.
By the way, on insurance, it's half your original bet.
You've got $10 out there.
You can bet $5, but you don't have to bet half your bet.
Just like doubling down.
Up to double your money.
When you're doubling down, you don't have to put out
doubling money.
When you're splitting, you've got to put out doubling money.
But not when you're doubling down and not with insurance.
Up to half.
You've got $10 out there.
You don't have to put out $5.
You can put out $1 if you want, $2 if you wish, $3 if you think
he's got it, $4 if you're positive, $5 if you saw it.
So you need some intelligence in your bet.
I bet more if there's a lot of face cards left in the deck.
I don't bet at all if all the face cards are out of the deck.
It's simply a matter of when you're lucky, watching the face
cards, and taking a chance.
They call it gambling.
Kind of like getting married.
This guy all of a sudden put out $500.
I looked under my ace.
I had the king of spades under there.
I looked again.
It was still there.
Paid the guy $1,000.
I'm paying this man $1,000 by him simply guessing that I have
a face card under my ace.
You better believe it.
Oh, I turned over his two cards.
He's got 19.
He lost that.
I have a blackjack.
You lost.
You only got 15.
He lost.
He's only got 8.
He lost.
He's only got 12.
He lost.
He's only got 5.
I got a blackjack.
You all lost.
But look at him.
He's got $1,000 on the table he wouldn't have had.
There it is.
Look at it.
He made $1,000 on that hand just by taking that bet when
the time was right.
I was shuffling the deck, and I was curious.
I turned to him, and I said, sir, how come you took
insurance after a half an hour?
You know what he told me?
You didn't have it the last three times in a row.
Dealers got to have it every third time.
That's the law of averages.
It's a gambling percentage.
To be a gambler, you've got to know all your percentages.
A third of the deck is face cards.
The dealer would have a face card under that ace every
third time.
It's the law of averages.
I said, you bet $500 on that.
He says, I beat you, didn't I?
But then he added, besides which dealer, only three face
cards have been out in your last hand.
Now that, sir, is a gambler.
Pay attention, you can become a gambler, too.
It's a silly little bet.
Do you know what my trick is?
Here's my trick.
When you get old, you lose your memory.
That's the second thing that goes.
When I'm at a blackjack table, and I buy in my chips, you
know I actually have a stack for betting and a stack for
insurance.
My insurance gamble is different from my regular
gambling.
My regular stack, I bet the blackjack with.
And I know when to win, lose, win, lose.
But I've got a stack over that I bet insurance on.
It's behind my money.
Every time the dealer is an ace, and he hasn't got a face
card under there, I take a chip and I put it in my left hand.
You're not allowed to use your left hand at a blackjack
table, one hand only.
You pick up your cards with one hand.
You hit with one hand.
You stand with one hand.
You put out your money with one hand.
You can sit on your left hand.
You can't use it.
They won't let you use it.
Well, I use it.
Because 10 minutes later, when the dealer's got an ace
showing, and he doesn't have a face card under there, I take
another chip and put it in my left hand.
See, it's sometimes 10 minutes in between aces.
And I can't remember if he had it.
It was 10 minutes ago.
Well, I can always remember it.
Next time he has an ace and he hasn't got a face card
under there, I take a chip and I put it in my left hand.
He hasn't had it three times in a row.
Now, 10 minutes from now, he's got an ace.
He said, do you want insurance?
I asked myself, how many face cards were there in the last
hand, about four, five.
And he hasn't had it three times in a row.
Yeah, I'll take it now, dealer.
That's when I put up my money and take my insurance.
But at least I play smart.
Do you know how that silly bet started?
It started in the 50s right here in Las Vegas.
A graveyard shift boss thought it would keep his
players awake.
He only had three players at one table and two players at
another.
It's 3 o'clock in the morning.
And these guys are yawning, looking at their watch, and
they want to go to bed.
And the pit boss says, my god, if they go to bed, I got no
players, I got an empty pit.
The dealer had an ace showing, and just then the pit boss
jumped in, hold it, hold it.
Any of you guys think that dealer's got a face card under
there, you want to bet on it?
If he has, I'll pay a two to one.
Well, this guy's sitting at the end of the table.
He wasn't so much asleep as the pit boss thought.
And he says, yeah, I'll take that bet.
How much can I bet?
And the pit boss says, up to half of what you got there.
What do you got, 200?
Up to 100.
You can bet anywhere from $10 to $100.
Up to half your bet.
The guy put out $100.
He looked under there.
He had a queen.
Paid him $200.
The other dealer said, the other players, can we do that
next time?
Can we do that next time?
Their eyes woke up, and all of a sudden they started watching
that deck and watching face cards, having a good time.
The guys at the other table said, what are you guys doing
over there?
Every time the dealer has an ace, we get to guess if he has
a face card under there.
And if he has, they pay us two to one.
Can we do that?
Can they do that?
Yeah, you can do that.
And it went from table to table to casino to casino.
And now everybody in Las Vegas plays a silly little bet
called insurance.
Do you think that dealer has a face card under there?
Would you like to bet on it?
And that's all there is to insurance.
Now, let me show you a couple of sample hands.
You sit down at the table, right?
There we are, all together, seven players at the table.
You put out your bet right in front of you in the betting
square, right in front of you now.
And the dealer deals two cards to everybody and two cards
to himself.
Let's start with seat number one.
I'm going to deal out a sample hand here to each player.
And let's just go through this deck together and just see
what just might transpire at the table.
Now, here you are in this seat right here.
We'll put you in there.
Oh, you got a blackjack.
Way to go.
That's an automatic winner.
Dealer's got a six showing.
You're going to win automatically.
Dealer deals two cards to everybody and two
cards to himself.
He's got a six showing, a breaking hand, a breaking card.
Look, a six, bad card for the dealer.
Let's look at seat number one.
Seat number one is a seven and a three.
They've got a 10.
Would you take a card?
Of course you'd take a card.
You've got to get closer.
There's a 10.
Now you've got 20.
Now you stand pat.
When you want a card, you signal like this.
When you don't want a card, you don't just go like that.
You don't have to talk at the blackjack table if you don't
want to talk.
Here's the next guy's got a pair of eights.
Remember what I told you about a pair of eights?
Always spin a pair of eights right up to when that dealer's
got an ace showing.
So you split your pair of eights.
Now, the dealer gives you a card in this ace.
You've got 18.
Good hand.
Stop.
Give me a card over here on this eight.
Dealer gives you a five.
13.
What do you think?
Dealer's got a six showing.
I don't like hitting a breaking hand when that
dealer's got a six showing.
Let's just stand on that.
Here's the next hand, the dealer's got a five or a 15,
because the ace counts one or 11.
So he asks for a card, and here's another one.
Now he's got six or a 16.
Still a soft hand.
Give me another card, dealer.
He gives you another card.
What do you got now?
You got 20.
Whoa.
Because there's eight, nine, and count that as 11, that
would be a 20.
Count one of them as 11, and one of them as one.
20.
Stop.
Here's a blackjack.
Well, automatically that would be paid, and the dealer would
take that and put those cards away, and that's an automatic
winner for that person in that seat.
Next hand is a 16.
Dealer's got a six showing.
Stand on that 16.
Don't hit a breaking hand when the dealer's got a six showing.
Here's a 10.
Well, you can double down if you want.
Would you like to double down?
All right, let's just try it.
Now, when you double down, you've got to put up to double
your money.
Up to double.
You've got $2.
You can put up one or two more dollars.
Now, when you double down, you only get one card.
That's all.
I hope it's a good card.
But even if it's a bad card, what do you care?
No matter what it is, what is it?
It's a 12?
I don't think you did a 12 any when that
dealer's got a six showing.
So don't worry about it when you hit that breaking.
11.
You want to double down on 11?
Double down.
Dealer gives you one card on that 11.
There it is, one card.
Now, let's look what the dealer does.
He's got a 16.
He hits it.
He's got an 18.
He's got a good hand.
Let's see what we pay here.
There's a 21.
He would pay this hand.
That's a 21.
The 12 loses, unfortunately.
He'd take his money.
This loses, too, the breaking hand.
He would take that money.
Here's a 20.
He would pay that hand.
He's only got 18.
There's a 20.
What happens over here on the split eights?
He would lose this bet here, he's only got 13, but he would push here.
He would tie, because he's got an 18, and so has the dealer got an 18.
And here's a winner in seat number one.
Whatever he bets, the dealer would pay him.
He's got a 20.
The dealer's got an 18.
Then the dealer picks up all those cards, and we come out with the next hand.
So let's deal another hand, and let's see what happens on this next hand here.
Let's deal out another one for you.
Another sample hand.
Okay, everybody puts out their bet.
Dealer shuffles a card.
Somebody cuts a card.
And here we go, the next card for each player.
First card, each player.
Oh, dealer's got a face card showing, oh, oh, good card for the dealer.
Whatever you got, now be careful.
Here's a second card for each player.
All right, second card for each player.
Well, let's go back here to seat number one, and there's a blackjack.
Automatic winner, unless the dealer has one, right?
Now here's where the dealer will look under there to see if he's got a card
under there.
In England, by the way, they don't put the card under there until after he
finishes all the hands.
And nowadays at some casinos, when the dealer puts a card under there,
he will not look until after all the hands are dealt because a lot of dealers
will look under there.
I used to do it in the old days.
I'd look under there.
My mother's at the table.
If I got a 10 under there, I just lift my little finger, just like that.
That tells my mother that I got a face card under there.
See, we used to do that.
Well, dealers can't do that anymore.
But at some casinos, they'll look under to see if they got that ace for,
if they got a blackjack, they'd turn it up.
In that case, this person would tie automatically, and everybody else at the
table would lose.
But it's obvious he hasn't got it.
He looked.
He hasn't got a 21.
At least you know that.
Now, you got a 21, so this person wins automatically, 3 to 2, and the dealer
would take the card.
Now, here's an 11.
Do you want to double down against a face card?
Do you want to?
Do you know a lot of books will tell you when you're lucky, when you're on their
money, and when there's a lot of face cards left to the deck to double down on
an 11, right up to when that dealer's got a face card showing?
But you're asking for trouble.
It's a really good time to do it when the dealer's got a 3, 4, 5, or 6 showing,
even a 2 or a 7 showing, and even an 8 or a 9 showing when it gets down to a
face card.
Do you want to just take a card?
Just signal to the dealer, there, you got a 20.
Maybe you should have doubled down.
You got a 20.
Aces, always fit aces.
Always.
Even when the dealer's got an ace showing, always fit aces.
Now, when you split aces, you only get one card in each ace, just one card there
and one card there.
We got a good one, we got a bad one.
Let's see what transpires.
Here's a 15.
Dealer's got a face card showing.
Do you want to try hitting that 15?
Do you want to stand on it?
Do you want to take a card?
Now, let's go ahead.
Here's a 6.
Do you want to take a card?
She didn't.
Do you want to take a chance?
Of course, how can you?
16.
Now, what are you going to do with that?
I think you should stand, do you want to take another chance, do you want to hit a 16?
Do you really feel that lucky?
Here's your options at the table.
So, watching the deck is what's going to make you a good player.
Always split a pair of 8s.
Right after that, dealer's got a face card showing.
Here, split this 8.
Say, dealer, give me a card.
Dealer, give me a 6.
You got 14.
Stop.
Now, if you had just hit the pair of 8s, 16, you would have broke already.
You would have gone over.
You would have lost automatically.
At least you're still in the race now.
14.
Stop.
Give me a card in this 8.
Dealer gives you a 9.
You got 17.
This one's a 20.
All right.
Everybody stands.
Here's what the dealer has under there.
He's got a 20.
So, here's a push.
Both of these are losers.
He would take money on both these 8s.
14 didn't work that time.
Here's a 16.
That hand would lose.
Here's a 15.
That hand would lose.
But if she had hit the 15, she would have broke.
All right?
And if he had hit the 16, he would have broke.
He would have got that 6 on top of that 16.
So, you can actually look at the end of every hand and say, I would have got that card.
I would have got that card.
Did I do the right thing?
That sort of thing.
Now, here's a push.
Lose, win.
That's a 21.
See, blackjack is on your first two cards.
When you get an ace in a face card or an ace in a 10, you turn it up in your first two cards.
It's an automatic winner.
You get 3 to 2 for your money.
But if your first two cards are aces and you split them, you get a face card.
Now, it's not a blackjack anymore.
It's just a 21.
But a 21 beats a 20.
Although he wins here and loses here, he ties.
And here's a 20.
It's a push.
The dealer's got 20.
You got a 20.
Tie. Keep your money.
Now, the dealer picks up the cards and away we go again.
Now, there's a couple of sample hands for you to digest.
Blackjack, don't be afraid to sit down.
It's a children's game to begin with.
Can't stress this enough.
Ask the dealer.
Don't be afraid to sit down and tell the dealer it's your first time.
He'll help you.
He can help you up to a certain point, all right?
And ask if there are any special rules.
Some casinos will let you double down after you split.
I like that rule.
Some casinos, very rare, there's only one I know, will let you double down after your third card.
There's even a couple of casinos that after six cards, under 21, an automatic winner.
Little silly little rules.
But if you don't know it, you can't take advantage of those rules.
So be sure to ask the dealer.
Now, some tips.
Should you play at a single deck or a double deck or out of a shoe?
Well, the trouble with a single deck table is this.
With seven people, the dealer deals out half a deck of cards, right?
Okay, no face cards around.
You're going to put out more money for your next hand because you got a good chance to catch face cards.
And if the dealer gets a breaking hand, he has to hit it.
Or you don't have to hit it.
So you know there's a lot of face cards left in that half a deck.
You're going to put out more money.
He's going to pick up all those cards and shuffle anyways.
Sure, if he deals out that second hand with all those face cards, he'll give you a 20,
you a 20, you a 20, you a 20, you a 20, you a 20, you a 20, with all those face cards.
There's seven seats for the players, only one seat for the house.
Most of the face cards will go there and he'll empty his rack.
And for another reason, he'll get fired.
I fired a dealer myself for doing that.
I let him go too.
Yeah, the kid dealt out a hand.
It was a single deck table and there was a lot of number of cards.
And I was looking down the pit.
I was a floor man at the time.
And I saw all the cards on the table and I knew and I looked and I knew what he was going to do.
Sure enough, he was talking and talking and not paying attention.
He picked up all those cards, put them into his card tray and out came the next hand.
And I walked over and I tapped him on his shoulder.
I said, I want you to look at the table and tell me what's wrong.
And he looked and he knew right away what's wrong.
He looked.
There were just face cards all over that table.
I said, okay, you're fired.
Go next door and tell him why I fired you.
You get a job next door.
And he did.
We do that in our business.
One nice thing about our business, we can move over.
But that's the trouble with the single deck table.
A lot of little cards come out in the first hand.
You ain't going to get that second hand.
Son of a gun.
A lot of people like to play at a double deck table, double deck, you get three hands out of a double deck.
If a lot of little cards come out in the first hand, you can put out more money for the second hand.
He can't shuffle.
And keep watching because two, three, four times an hour, a lot of little cards come out in that second hand.
You suck it to him.
That kid's hand is full of face cards.
Boy, that's a good time to get your extra money in the table.
Now, he might not deal a third hand and if he doesn't, then change to another table.
Especially when the dealer cuts the deck too deep and leaves too many cards behind his cut card.
They have a cut card when he's a double deck at the table.
So instead of cutting the deck, what he'll do is he'll give you the cut card.
And after he shuffles a double deck, he'll just turn the deck sideways and you put the cut card in there.
And he'll take that and he'll move the deck around.
And so he's got a lot of cards on it.
He cuts his own deck in essence.
And if he leaves too many cards behind the cut card, you ain't going to get that third hand.
I like a shoe.
I love a shoe.
That's that box in a table.
They've got six decks of cards in that box in a table for one good reason.
Each seat will get 10 uninterrupted hands.
I like that.
Do you know the next 10 hands you're going to win five and lose five, you watch and see?
Yeah.
See, Blackjack, you win, you lose, you win, you lose, you win, you win, you lose, you lose, you win, you lose.
If you're a good player, it's about a 1%, 2%, 3% game and that's darn near even.
Like heads or tails, heads or tails, heads or tails.
But when you win, win, win, that's where you got to make your money.
When you lose, lose, lose, you lower your bet.
When you win, win, win, you bet your money.
You watch your deck.
You watch your cards, you watch your dealer's up card.
You learn how to split, how to double down, all the rules.
That's what's going to make you a good Blackjack player.
Out of a shoe, I love it.
I watch those cards come out of that shoe like I watch waves coming up at the beach here in San Diego.
I watch those big cards come out and I watch those little cards come out.
As far as I'm concerned, here are the four qualities of an excellent Blackjack player.
Number one, watch your luck.
You're lucky, bet more money.
How do you know if you're lucky?
Look at your money.
You got money, you're winning.
Good time to gamble when you're winning.
When you're on your money, be careful.
You got a chance to lose when you're gambling on your money.
But on their money, when you're lucky, take chances.
Bet more money when you're lucky.
Bet more money when the dealer's unlucky.
Watch his luck.
Dealers have good luck streaks and bad luck streaks just like we players do.
They're not superhuman people.
You can be a Blackjack dealer.
Anybody can be a Blackjack dealer.
You know what a Blackjack dealer does when he's losing?
He slows down his dealing.
When you're winning, you deal fast.
As soon as you're breaking, you just slow down your dealing.
It'll pass.
Good dealers know that.
Watch your luck.
Watch a dealer's luck.
Watch the deck.
What are you watching the deck?
I'm going to make it very simple for you.
Here's what you watch in the deck.
Watch the aces and the faces and the fives.
Those are the only cards worth watching.
You want to be a pro.
You want to get into card counting.
You get my advanced Blackjack tape and I'll discuss card counting with you and I'll talk
money management at that time too and give you some really good money management systems
using a Blackjack table.
Just watch your deck.
Watch the dealer's luck.
Watch your luck and watch the aces and the faces and the fives and then move your money
accordingly and that's what's going to make you a good gambler.
Aces and faces, when they're in the deck, bet more money because aces and faces are
good cards for us players.
When they're in the deck, bet more money.
When the fives are out of the deck, be careful.
Fives are the best card in the deck for the dealer.
If they're in the deck, they're good for the dealer.
If they're out of the deck, watch it.
Why are the fives a good card for a dealer?
Because they make all his breaking hands for him.
They make his 16s at 21, they make his 15s at 20, they make his 14s at 19, they make
his 13s at 18, they make his 12s at 17.
So fives are the best card in the deck for the dealer.
You say, Jimmy, that's a small percentage.
Well, my friend, I'll tell you, all the small percentages in gambling, it's what's going
to make you a better player.
So watch your luck.
Watch your dealer's luck.
Watch your deck and watch your money and you can be an excellent Blackjack player.
Now when it comes to tipping, a lot of people ask me about tipping the dealer.
The time I recommend that you tip the dealer is when you're ready to leave the table.
You've been playing for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, a half an hour.
Don't spend too long at a table for a session.
Take a break.
Go have a beer.
Go make love.
Come back later.
You can play later.
These casinos never close.
So tipping.
When you're ready to leave, say you're up $100.
When you make your last bet, if it's like a $10 or a $20 bet, whatever your last bet
is right in front of your bet, put a chip right out here pretty near the insurance bar
right in front of your original bet.
That's for the dealer.
If he wins, and if you win.
So if you win your last hand, he wins.
He gets a tip.
You win your last hand and half of his tip is coming from the casino.
So that's the best time to tip.
Right in front of your bet and you can put out $1 or $2.
I say 5% is a good figure.
If I'm up $100, I'll put out $5 before I leave.
That's my last bet.
If you want to bet $1 at a time, you're betting $2, $3 and you want to bet maybe $5, you're
going to play for an hour.
Every once in a while, just put $1 out there right in front of your bet.
So if the dealer, if you win the next hand, when the dealer pays you, he pays himself
and after he pays everybody and everybody takes their money, he takes his money, he'll
tap the $2 in the tray, signalling to the pit boss that this is my tip and he'll put
it in his pocket or he puts it behind his discard tray and later on the dealers all
get together.
They count the money and they share their tips.
And finally, money management, watch your money.
There's a 2,000 year old rule I'm going to leave you with.
2,000 years old, Plato said it, bet more money when you're winning and less money when you're
losing.
God love you.
Hope to see you in Las Vegas at a Blackjack table.
Jimmy's methods are designed to educate you enough to increase your odds of winning at
gambling.
No method is foolproof, but why not increase your winning odds with the man who knows the
game best?
The knowledge you have just gained is priceless.
Jimmy's secrets can help you win at any casino or riverboat game in the world.
Every casino game is available on tape for your viewing enjoyment and profit.
There are 14 tapes in all.
We can't guarantee you'll win, but we can guarantee your chances will definitely be
better after studying these tapes.
For more information on obtaining additional video tapes in this series, contact your local
retailer or call the Gambler's General Store for the dealer nearest you.
In Nevada, call 702-382-9903.
Outside Nevada, call toll free, 1-800-322-2447.
Call seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time.
On behalf of everyone at the Gambler's General Store and Creative Video Services, thank you
for watching our tape.
This video is guaranteed against defects.
If you have any problem, call toll free, 1-800-322-2447.
Inside Nevada, call 702-382-9903.
We hope Lady Luck shines her ever-lovin' eyes on you.